


What Will Become of Us All if We Dare to Dream?

by trajektoria



Series: The Red Thread of Fate [4]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, M/M, POV Alternating, Space Husbands, and fell in love as adults, they met as kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:08:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25225819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trajektoria/pseuds/trajektoria
Summary: Little Scott Ryder introduces his future husband to his parents. They are not amused.Six hundred years later Scott and Reyes realize that they have met before, way before Kadara.Final part of The Red Thread of Fate series.
Relationships: Male Ryder | Scott/Reyes Vidal
Series: The Red Thread of Fate [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/905517
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I literally wrote this fic about two years ago but never got around to actually publish it. I don’t want to leave this series without a proper ending so here it is! Hope you will enjoy it. 
> 
> If you spot any mistakes please let me know. Thank you for kudos and comments <3

Due to the nature of Ellen’s and Alec’s jobs, Ryder family outings were a rarity. Not that the parents neglected the twins in any way, nothing could be further from the truth. Still, it happened way too often that Alec’s C-Sec duties consumed him beyond his normal shifts and Ellen ended up stuck in a lab, far too absorbed in her research to even register passage of time. To have the two of them at home together at a decent hour was nothing short of a miracle. And yet, against all odds, both of them tried to make it happen as often as possible for the kids’ sake. When their days off collided, a trip to Silversun Strip, where the twins could go wild in an arcade and eat their weight in sweets, was obligatory.

One of such days finally arrived. Scott and Sara were over the moon (and several other planets), barely getting any sleep the night before. At the break of dawn, the six-year-olds barged into their parents’ bedroom, having dressed themselves already... or at least attempting to. Scott wore one green and one purple sock and completely forgot about his underwear, while Sara put on her shirt inside out and front on the back. Fixing this fashion travesty, just like getting some breakfast, took some time – far too much according to the twins – but at last the whole family set out on an adventure, making their way through the busy halls of the Citadel towards the nearest shuttle.

Sara skipped lightly in front of her parents, her ponytail bouncing along with her like a metronome. She seemed so full of energy that she could replace a small power plant. Scott, although just as pumped as she was, chose to amble at his mother’s side, gripping her hand tightly. From time to time he looked up at her and they traded bright smiles. Alec remained his usual withdrawn self, maybe just a tad less grim than normally. It was hard to tell what he was really thinking with that permanent half-scowl carved into his face. 

“Moooom,” Sara singsonged, twirling on her toes and continuing to walk backwards as she stared at her mother. “Can we get some pancakes later?”

“Yeah, mom! Can we? Please?” Scott supported her readily. “With caramel!”

“And chocolate!”

“And cream!”

“And sprinkles!”

“Well…” Ellen pretended to hesitate. “Do you really think you can eat one after a whole day of playing?”

“I can eat _two_!” Sara assured her ardently and Scott followed suit.

“I can eat _three_!”

Sara narrowed her eyes at him. “And I can eat _ten_!”

“And I can eat _hundred_!” Scott stuck out his tongue.

“And I can eat _thousand_!”

“And I can eat _billion_!”

Sara jutted out her chin. She didn’t know a number higher than billion – aside from billion and one which was a lame comeback – but she would rather eat Brussels sprouts than let such a minor detail stop her from winning an argument. When in doubt, use the foolproof tactics of deflection.

“Yeah, right! You won’t be able to eat even one without crying!” She blew a raspberry at him and added to drive her point across, “Because you’re a crybaby!”

As on cue, Scott’s eyes welled up. “I’m not a crybaby!”

“You are!” She flashed him a smug smirk.

“I’m not!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

Scott was on the verge of wailing. Sara cackled, very pleased with herself. Ellen sighed, the very picture of ‘the Lord is testing me’ exasperation.

A ghost of a smile flicked through Alec’s face. “Sara, cut it out. What are you, three?”

“No, I’m six! I’m almost an adult!”

“She has a brain of a newborn baby!” Scott sniffed, rubbing at his eyes furiously, proving that he wasn’t a helpless victim and could bite back.

“I’m older than you, dummy!” She gasped, offended at this blatant disregard of her seniority.

“But you’re dumber!”

“ _You’re_ dumber!”

“You!”

“No, you!”

The exchange would have probably ended in a catfight if Alec hadn’t preemptively taken Sara’s hand and kept her as far away from her brother as possible. That didn’t stop the twins from making faces at one another behind the parents’ back.

After a while they got bored and got back to just looking around, anywhere but the other twin’s direction.

For Scott that paid off spectacularly. In the distance, he noticed a familiar silhouette, recognizing the uniform and the haircut.

Scott gasped in delight, a radiant smile adorning his face as he waved his greetings. “Hey!”

Ellen knew her son possibly better than anyone else in the world – save from Sara perhaps – so she was certain that shouting randomly into the crowd wasn’t something Scott did. Intrigued, she followed the boy’s line of vision. It seemed that he was reacting so enthusiastically to a young man in a technician’s uniform, tinkering with one of the terminals. If she wasn’t mistaken, he made a gesture as if he wanted to respond to Scott, but noticing her attention on him hesitated and just got back to working zealously, casting furtive glances in the Ryders’ general direction. That was… strange.

Alec noticed that as well. A deep crease ran down his forehead as he exchanged glances with Ellen.

“Do you know him, Scotty?” she asked casually but waited for a reply like a hawk.

“Yeah.”

When nothing more followed, Ellen decided to press further. Delicately. “Is he your friend?”

“No.” Scott shook his head. “He’s my future husband.”

“Your what?” Alec asked, so taken aback that he literally stopped dead in his tracks, pulling Sara to a halt along with him. Ellen ceased walking as well, shocked into silence.

“My husband?” Scott repeated, rolling his eyes. “We are sort of together now, duh.”

“You know what a husband is, right, Dad?” Sara giggled, finding the expression on her father’s face absolutely hilarious.

The twins shared an ‘adults are dumb’ look and laughed together, but the parents were far from being amused. Alec opened his mouth to say something – or rather shout, judging by the veins bulging in his neck – but Ellen raised her hand to indicate that she would handle the situation. Alec complied, albeit grudgingly. Ellen crouched in front of Scott, her hands rubbing his arms gently, trying to cover her worry with calmness and reassurance.

“Scotty, honey… What do you mean that you and that man are together?”

Scott shrugged. “We hang out.”

“You hang out?”

“Uhm.”

“Just the two of you?”

“Yeah,” he replied. And just because he was a good boy, he added truthfully, “Sometimes Sara comes too. But he’s mine so she has to stay away and just watch.”

Sara stuck her tongue at him, but Alec’s squeezing her hand nipped the argument in a bud. She looked at her father with confusion, sensing that this was somehow serious. Scott had the same impression but didn’t know why and that made him feel uneasy.

“Baby… I promise I won’t get mad at you but please be honest with me,” Ellen said and waited for Scott’s weak nod before continuing. “Did that man ever touch you?”

Scott blinked at her. What an odd question. But Mom wanted him to be honest so he jogged his memory. Yes, he remembered that he whined so long that the technician allowed him to screw a bolt in place. He didn’t know how, though, so his future husband showed him the method by holding his wrist and working together with him. That counted, right?

“Um… yeah.”

Alec looked as if he was about to explode. Ellen visibly paled.

“Did he touch you in… an inappropriate way?” Scott stared at her blankly. He had no idea what that even meant. Ellen ran her hand through his hair in a kind, soothing gesture. “Did his touch ever made you feel uncomfortable? Or hurt you?”

Huh. Well, once he stepped on Scott’s toe. He didn’t mean to and said that he was sorry afterwards but it still hurt.

“Um? Yeah?”

“That’s it,” Alec said, pulling Sara closer to her mother and leaving her there. Anger was rolling off him in waves, pure fury cold like a blade of a knife. “Ellen, watch the kids.”

“Alec…”

“It won’t take long.”

Scott felt his mother’s arms around him, lifting him up into a hug. Ellen motioned to Sara to stay by her side. The three of them watched as Alec stomped away. The twins felt nothing but confusion and uneasiness, not knowing what was really happening but sensing instinctively that it wasn’t anything good. They traded glances and stared at Ellen. She seemed concerned.

“Everything will be all right, Scotty,” she said, kissing the top of his head.

The words had the opposite effect on him, though. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about all the things that actually might not be all right. Anxiously clutching his mother’s neck, he watched as his father plowed through the crowd, an unstoppable force of nature.

Scott’s future husband noticed it too. At first, he froze. The shock lasted maybe a couple of seconds before the survival instinct kicked in. When Alec Ryder was onto you, you could fight or flight. And only one of these options gave you a slight chance of making it.

Apparently, his husband was smart enough to realize it. Without delay, he abandoned all of his equipment and bolted, running away as fast as he could from the bloodthirsty menace. Alec was right at his heels, the difference in experience and training evident. The officer kept gaining speed and yards easily, even if the youth and cunning was on the technician’s side, as he proved by meandering through the market like a gazelle. The young man clearly knew how to escape in the most efficient way: he skidded the corners, dived between groups of people, tried to throw things behind him to slow down the pursuit. However, no tactics, no matter how elaborate of efficient could work against a trained Alliance soldier.

“No!” Scott screamed but Dad was too far to hear him. Not that he would listen, anyway. Scott — with stunned Sara at his side and Mom hugging him — could only observe helplessly how Dad grabbed the young technician by the arm, turned him around, and brutally pushed him against the wall, actually lifting him a few inches above the ground. Scott couldn’t hear what they were saying but it looked as if his husband was trying to plead his case while Dad muttered something through his teeth into his face. A threat of some sort most likely. Dad could be really scary when he got angry. The commotion drew attention of passers-by, who observed the scene from a distance.

For a long while the two men talked animatedly. Mostly the younger one talked and the older glared at him. After what seemed like forever, Dad finally let the technician go, giving him a push for good measure so hard that he nearly fell to the ground. A turian C-Sec officer took interest in what was going on. Dad dismissed the concern – probably that was one of his colleagues from work anyway – and the young technician disappeared in the crowd as if he was never there. Dad and the turian spoke for a moment, then Dad turned around and returned to the family. His expression was grim but there was an aura of a fulfilled duty about him.

“What did you do?!” Scott yelled at him. “You hurt him!”

“He won’t bother you again. If he tries there will be hell to pay,” Dad said and turned to Mom, communicating something to her without words.

“He did nothing wrong!” Scott insisted.

“It’s for your own good, Scott. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Scott huffed, glaring up at his father. Always the same. “I _am_ older!”

“Scotty…” Mom tried to soothe him but Dad had to have last word. He looked at his son with a smile that seemed almost derisive.

“You’re a six-year-old squirt who doesn’t know anything about the world. Listen to your elders and obey. You won’t meet with that man ever again. Period.”

Scott puffed out his cheeks in defiance. “I will! He was my friend! And my husband!”

“Scott, you’re grounded. No discussion. And we’re not done, we’ll continue this conversation at home.”

Scott, swallowing tears of frustration, offered no reply, already plotting how to reach the technician again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Hope you will enjoy it <3

“I will find him,” Scott announced in a hushed but firm voice once he and Sara were alone again in their room. A few hours that passed since the trip and the subsequent chastising didn’t damped his resolve.

“And how do you think you’ll do it?” Sara looked at him intently, sitting crossed-legged on the floor opposite him. An equal mixture of curiosity and determination lightened her features. “The Citadel is huge!”

“Oh, it’s easy.” Scott waved his hand to stress how unimportant that part was. “He told me yesterday that there’s been some malfunction near that club, Flux, and it would take him a couple of days to run the full diagnostics. He’ll be there somewhere.”

“You don’t even know his name.”

Scott shrugged. Not important. “I know he’s my husband and that’s enough.”

“Dad will be so mad when he finds out…”

“He won’t. I’ll be stealthy like a Specter!”

Sara nodded, deeming that explanation acceptable. “So how are we going to do this?”

“I need to do this alone,” Scott said solemnly, quoting a character from the action vid he had seen recently.

“No, we can go together!”

“It’s personal, Sara. He’s my husband!”

“Why do you even need to see him?” Sara pouted, far less enthusiastic about the whole thing now that her involvement had been diminished.

“I don’t want him to think that I don’t like him anymore. It’s all Dad’s fault, not mine!”

Sara thought about this for a moment before surrendering in the end. “Okay. So how do you want to do this?”

“Can you distract Mom and Dad for a couple of minutes? I’ll sneak out.”

Sara smiled like a grizzled veteran about to venture on yet another daring adventure. “It will be my pleasure.”

* * *

Scott had to admit that his sister had outdone herself this time. She was always a skilled liar, far better than he could ever be. First, she pressed her forehead against a radiator to raise her temperature. Then she sneaked into the bathroom and dropped mashed potatoes, a bit of lemon juice, and some red paint into the toilet. Pained noises as if she was barfing her insides out followed, almost making Scott believe her himself. It was definitely enough to gain parents’ attention and lure them away from the living room.

Scott took the advantage of the commotion and sneaked out of the house. It was always easier to do it with Sara’s help but right now she was otherwise occupied, so he had to manage it alone. She had already played her part and did it marvelously. Scott would gladly give her his next dessert. Unless it was ice cream, he loved ice cream. But she could have anything else. 

Well, if they would even get a dessert again after the parents discovered that it was all a ruse and Scott was gone. Dad would be furious. But that was a problem for the future Scott. Present Scott needed to focus on finding his husband.

Scott had been to the Upper Wards before with Sara but he didn’t like the area much. Especially not this part. It felt… foreign. Narrow corridors, dim and often broken lighting, and people of all races staring at him funny. Anything the Presidium and Silversun Strip, his favorite places of choice, were not. He wasn’t scared – he wasn’t scared of anything! — but he certainly wished that he could find his husband soon and evacuate from here as quickly as possible.

Luck was on his side or maybe it was destiny at work. Just a few minutes after entering the area he spotted the one he was looking for. His future partner knelt in front of an open circuit panel and peered inside, consulting the readings on his omni-tool. He focused on his job, sharp and alert, but at the same time seemed tired, as if in dire need of a long break and a big lunch.

How stupid of Scott that he hadn’t brought a snack with him. That would have been a nice ‘I’m sorry for my Dad’ gift.

“Hey!” Scott cried out and approached him cheerfully, enthusiasm of youth in his step.

The technician turned towards him. As their eyes met, his widened in terror.

“Oh, fuck,” the man muttered, jumping away from the machinery he was working on. He whipped his head left and right in agitation, the tension in his body showing that he might bolt at any moment. “What the hell are you doing here, kid?”

Such reaction truly baffled Scott. “I was looking for you! I wanted—”

“Go away,” the technician hissed, once again doing the sweep of his surroundings in search of escape routes. “You’ll get me in trouble!”

“Huh?” Scott didn’t understand. “Why?”

“Oh, your dad was perfectly clear,” his future husband said with a sneer. “We had a nice chat today in case you didn’t notice. If he finds me around you again I’m as good as dead.”

“Dead?” Scott blinked. Would Dad really kill someone just like that? Well, he was a soldier but to kill his son’s future husband? “Why would he want to hurt you?”

“Because he thinks I’m some sort of a creep hanging out with six year olds.”

“What’s a creep?”

The technician sighed and rubbed his face, leaving a smudge of oil-like substance on his cheek. “Just go away, kid. I don’t have time for you. I’m busy.”

“But…”

“Scram!” The man cried out, making Scott flinch. “Are you deaf? Piss off and never come back! Leave me alone!”

Scott stared at him, heartbroken. Tears welled up in his eyes, the corners of his lips turned downwards. He could swear that his future husband didn’t mean any of that but the man’s face remained a stony mask of irritation.

Scott took a hesitant step towards him but the technician growled, “Shoo!”

Scott broke out crying. Shaking, with tears flooding his cheeks, the boy ran off as fast as he could, not turning back even once.

* * *

Reyes tapped the buttons on his omni-tool, skillful like a seasoned hacker. Focusing on the work would do him good, help to ignore his stupid feelings. And his feelings were telling him right now that he was an asshole who made a child cry. _Congratulations, you piece of shit._

He had nothing against the kid, honestly. They didn’t even know each other’s names, just using this silly ‘storage kid/my husband’ thing. It was completely harmless. The kid hung out with him sometimes, watched him work and babbled enthusiastically about things as if he was the smartest being on the Citadel, which made Reyes laugh. Reyes indulged him and appreciated his help when he used his biotics to fetch him the tools. But Reyes wasn’t born yesterday. He could see how this all looked like from the outside. And it didn’t look good. Someone who was nearly an adult — officially, at least — spending time with a young boy? And even worse: an adult poor as dirt around a rich boy. That didn’t paint the most favorable picture.

Yeah, chasing the kid away was the best option. Reyes had to forget about this whole incident and move on. He had too many things to lose. If someone started sniffing around him, they could easily find the counterfeit personal files and all the other tiny sins on Reyes’s underage conscience. Especially, since the kid’s father was a C-Sec officer.

Reyes didn’t need that, no thanks. Not when he was finally getting somewhere. He had a job, a legit job. Yes, almost at the very bottom of the food chain but he planned to climb up soon, he was capable enough. His superiors were happy with his work, praised his ingenuity and industriousness. What he lacked in formal training, he made up in eagerness and being _fucking smart_. He could do it. Work hard, save money, get enough to pay for the pilot course.

Well, maybe he’d need to take some side job of disputable legality along the way to speed things up, but it was for a good cause. Once he got his pilot’s license, he’d be off the Citadel forever. Bye-bye slums, welcome the vast universe of opportunities. Maybe he’d go to Omega, carve out a piece of fortune for himself. Or maybe he’d go to Earth just like he dreamed as a kid, see the place from where his mother originated. Maybe he’d find her there, maybe she had returned home after leaving them all behind.

Reyes clenched his teeth. His thoughts were grim enough without thinking about his wayward mother, thank you very much.

Sorry, kid, that was nothing personal. Have a nice life. And hopefully you’d return home safe. Honestly, who let a posh kid from walk around here alone? That was a disaster in the making.

A shrill scream made Reyes tense. A small child? A part of him tried to delude himself into believing that it wasn’t the storage kid. Could be anyone, really. People got hurt all the time. But he was smart enough to just know who that was, felt it in his gut. Just as he felt a pang of remorse and responsibility.

_Ignore it, Reyes. It’s not your problem. You’re not a hero, you’re a survivor. It’s his own fault for coming to look for you. You never asked for it. Just keep working_ , the voice in his head spoke incessantly, the familiar litany of getting by.

“Fuck,” he muttered, shutting down his omni-tool. He couldn’t ignore it. Just couldn’t. Not if he ever wanted to look himself in the eye. “Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck my life.”

Reyes ran down the narrow passage towards the scream. He passed some people on the way but no one reacted. The locals knew better than to intervene. They only cast baffled glances at Reyes, who willingly threw himself into the lion’s jaws. Great. He never counted on getting murdered like this – trying to save one stupid six-year-old from a certain demise.

_Fuck._

Reyes arrived in a shady, dim alley that smelled like piss and vomit. He was greeted by a sight of a human man in tattered clothes and the eyes of a Red Sand addict. The junkie grabbed the kid by his shirt and lifted him up, trying to drag him off. For ransom? Or for dinner? Hard to tell what resided in a dusted brain.

The kid didn’t intend to go quietly into the night, oh no. The little fighter screamed, kicked, clawed at the man, tried to use his biotics to get free, although without much success if his terrified face was any indication. Normally, subduing a child shouldn’t be a problem, but the man was clearly weakened. And insane, completely unpredictable. Great, just great.

What did Reyes ever do to the universe for it to hate him so much?

“Hey, asshole!” he yelled despite the rational voice inside his head telling him how shitty idea that was. “Leave him alone!”

The man turned his bloodshot eyes towards him. Not a lot of humanity left behind them.

“Fuck off,” the junkie screamed back, reaching into the pocket of his rags. A pistol appeared in his shaky hand, aimed straight at Reyes’s head. “Or you’re dead.”

Reyes froze. And swallowed hard. Now what? All the brains in the world wouldn’t help you much if your literal brains got spilled on the ground. Reyes calculated the chance of the junkie missing or him making a ducking maneuver like in an action vid but those numbers didn’t look encouraging.

“Look,” Reyes said, raising his hands slowly, as non-threatening as possible. “Let’s talk about this. You want to trade this kid for credits, right?” The man was staring at him blankly. A least he wasn’t shooting. Reyes took a small step closer, seemingly casual and relaxed, unbothered by the gun. Just a friendly chat among buddies, right? “You will sell him to a slaver? Or better yet get a ransom from the family? Do you even know how to arrange the trade and not get caught? Because I do and—”

The junkie’s attention was completely on him. Out of the corner of his eye Reyes noticed a flash of purple aura. The kid finally managed to concentrate. A burst of energy tore the gun from the man’s hand, flinging it against the wall.

A few precious seconds of distraction and confusion – Reyes knew how to use the opportunity like that to his advantage. Acting on pure adrenaline, he charged at the junkie. The man didn’t expect it, so it was easy to tear the boy from his grasp. For good measure, Reyes kneed the man in a groin and pushed him hard to the ground. Temporarily incapacitating the threat, he ran like hell with the kid in his arms. He needed to put as much distance between them as only humanly possible.

A gunshot. Something swished right past Reyes’s ear.

_Oh fuck._ The guy was tougher than he looked and got his hands back on a gun. Not good. One bullet and he was out. Goodbye and goodnight.

A weird noise, as if someone had said something underwater, sounded behind him. Reyes risked a quick glance over his shoulder. A purple biotic barrier had been conjured out of thin air, separating them from the shooter. It flickered and didn’t seem very stable but the shots bounced off it anyway. For now. 

“Thanks, kid,” Reyes said, feeling better about their chances. A new surge of hope fueled him, as he sped on into another alley. He knew this place like the back of his hand. Skillfully, he meandered through the corridors, pushing towards the better parts of the neighborhood, places in which they would be safe. Reyes was in a pretty good shape and yet after just a couple of streets he found himself short of breath. Fear and adrenaline could only carry him so much. Not to mention that the kid was surprisingly heavy. Or perhaps simply in an ideal world thirteen-year-olds shouldn’t ran for their lives carrying six-year-olds in their arms. But hey — newsflash — this wasn’t an ideal world.

Reyes knew that he wouldn’t be able go on like that. Thankfully, he reached the marketplace before his legs gave way. Not the safest place on the Citadel but at least no one should start a full shootout here. Reyes slumped behind one of the crates with goods that awaited unpacking. Carefully, he peeked out the corner, observing the direction from where they came. Nothing, no signs of any pursuit. He didn’t expect one, truly. That junkie had probably already forgotten about the whole ordeal and went on to find another fix.

Sighing in relief, Reyes relaxed somewhat. Now he could take a proper look at the kid. The boy seemed shaken, his eyes filled with fear and tears, but otherwise unharmed. He looked at Reyes with something akin to reproach. Or maybe Reyes’s guilty conscience simply projected that.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re safe now. Are you hurt?”

The kid shook his head. And threw his arms around Reyes’s neck, sobbing quietly.

_Aww, shit._

Feeling like the worst person ever, Reyes stroked the boy’s back soothingly. If he hadn’t yelled at the kid, prompting him to run off, this would have never happened.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Rezes said, patting his head awkwardly. How do you deal with kids? His experience was limited at best. Sometimes he felt as if he had been born an adult, by-passing all the previous stages. “I’m gonna take you home now, okay? Where do you live?”

The kid sniffed and told him the address.

Ah, of course. Of course he had to live in the fanciest district.

Why did Reyes feel as if his problems were just starting?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than I planned, but here it is. Hope you'll enjoy it <3  
> One chapter left!

Reyes had never been in this area before. He’d heard about it and dreamed about it like every street rat on the Citadel, but actually coming here would be akin to suicide. He’d be sticking out from the well-groomed crowd like a sore thumb. Better not attract too much attention to yourself when you were already balancing on the verge of law.

Surprisingly, people weren’t staring at him too much now as he walked down the street flanked on both sides with real trees brought here from Earth. The maintenance uniform was truly a marvelous thing, better than a tactical cloak. Even with a child in his arm, barely anyone let their gaze dwell on him for more than two seconds. Interesting. A useful chunk of knowledge for the future, as he was fairly sure that he’d get fired. He literally went AWOL, leaving all his stuff behind. Probably someone had already stolen his bag. Damn it.

Fucking conscience. He wished medicine would soon be able to remove it surgically.

At least the kid calmed down. He didn’t make a peep, still clutching to Reyes’s neck tightly, but he wasn’t crying anymore so that was progress.

“We’re almost there. Hang on,” Reyes said more to himself than to the boy. With each step that carried him closer to the kid’s house he felt less and less convinced that it was the best course of action. The kid’s father was pretty explicit when he slammed him against the wall — _come near my son again and I will personally airlock you_ – and Reyes believed that he wasn’t joking.

Fuck. And Reyes would soon meet that guy face to face.

“Hey…” he said to the child. “We’re close now, just a few yards. How about I leave you here and you go home on your own?”

Gently, he tried to peel the kid off himself but all he achieved was a shriek of protest and tiny arms nearly choking him to death. Reyes sighed with resignation.

_Fuck. Thanks, kid. Carry a flower to my grave sometime, will you?_

Feeling like a man climbing the gallows, Reyes approached the indicated address. A cozy house stood there, surrounded by a small garden full of flowers. The kid’s family was loaded. No surprise here. Probably spent more daily than Reyes earned in a month. So unfair. But it wasn’t the kid’s fault.

Reyes could at least be truthful enough with himself to admit that he was stalling. He never considered himself a coward, but didn’t feel particularly reckless either.

Oh well. What was the worst that could happen? The kid’s father wouldn’t actually murder him for real, right? Right? Right?!

Before he completely chickened out, Reyes knocked on the door. All tense, ready to just throw the kid into the arms of whoever came and then bolt.

The door opened fully. For a moment the time stood still. The kid’s father stared at Reyes, who froze on the spot, an awkward smile plastered to his face. The kid pulled back enough to look at his father, big blue eyes reddened from crying.

“You must be joking,” said the man finally, when reality revved back to life again.

“Um… Good day, sir, I was just—”

Several things happened at once, Reyes’s heightened senses processed everything in slow motion as if he was having an out of body experience. The boy was yanked out of his arms and handed over to the dark-haired woman standing nearby who nearly fainted from relief, the kid’s contrite twin at her side. Before Reyes took that as his cue to get the hell away from here, the man pulled him inside the house, forceful enough to almost dislocate his shoulder, and punched the door close, cutting off the most obvious escape route. Well, Reyes was really, truly, royally fucked.

“I can’t believe it.” The man wasn’t yelling but his cold, raised voice made Reyes cower anyway. “I told you loud and clear to stay away and then you do what? Kidnap my son a few hours later?”

“Kidnap?” Reyes blinked. “No, I didn’t—”

“You talked him into leaving the house and joining you. The gall you have to—” The man rammed his finger into his chest. An ugly bruise was guaranteed.

“No!” The little boy shrieked, and wriggled his way out of his mother’s embrace. He ran to his father and tugged on his trousers. “He did nothing wrong!”

The father didn’t want to listen. Lost in self-righteous anger, he shoved the boy away.

“Not now.” Back to Reyes, more annoyed with every passing seconds. “You can be sure that I won’t leave this alone and that you will suffer severe consequences.”

“But I didn’t—”

“Dad!”

“I will make sure that C-Sec—”

“But I didn’t—”

“Dad!” A biotic pulse that rattled everything and everyone in the room finally shifted general attention to the kid. Even the father didn’t say anything, just stared in shock at his son who still had a purple halo around himself. “Listen to me! He didn’t do anything wrong! He saved me from a bad man and brought me home!”

“Nonsense, you’re just confused.”

“No! I’m telling the truth!”

“Just go to your room—”

“Honey, please.” The mother joined the conversation, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder. Immediately, some of that gung-ho attitude of his dissipated. “I think he's is telling the truth. Let’s listen to our boy first.”

The man cast Reyes a suspicious glance and then a similar one aimed at his son. The mother knelt in front of the boy, on the same level now and looking him in the eye.

“Tell us what happened, love.”

The boy puffed out his chest slightly, happy to be treated seriously. Reyes considered using this opportunity to run but he didn’t want to anger the C-Sec man again, now that he seemed moderately receptive to reason. 

“Okay,” the boy said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “So dad yelled at my husband and that was rude so I wanted to talk to him and say that I still like him, but then he yelled at me and I ran and then a big man caught me but my husband came and I blasted the gun out of his hand and then he grabbed me and we ran. He took me home.”

The report was accurate, even if somewhat chaotic. Reyes wasn’t sure how much the adults understood, but the account cleared his name. The mother seemed to be on his side — she didn’t want to murder him, which was good enough at this point — and the father, although still clearly skeptical, slowly seemed to change his mindset to slightly less violent.

“Is that what really happened?” the mother asked Reyes.

He nodded, speaking mainly to her as she seemed the most rational one around. “Yes, that’s what happened. I never did anything to your son.”

The adults traded glances. Like all good spouses they could have a whole discussion with just one look. The father arrived at a decision.

“Kids, go to your room.”

Both twins let out a similar whine of dissent.

“No!”

“No, we need to be here!”

“Your room. Now.” No one could argue with a tone like that. The kids pouted, but the grimace was short lived. They looked worried. Here or in their room, Reyes was sure that the kids would listen to every uttered word intently. Maybe for their sake the father would behave.

When the kids left, the senior of the family indicated one of the armchairs. Tentatively, Reyes walked across the living room. The table looked like real wood and the armchairs were made of genuine leather, not some cheap synthetic equivalent. He’d never sat down on anything more comfortable.

The parents took place opposite him on the couch. The father seemed stern but not outwardly hostile. The mother was harder to decipher, although he could venture a guess that she didn’t harbor ill will towards him. Still, he shifted uncomfortably under double scrutiny. He wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“I will ask you a few questions now,” said the father in his best ‘interrogation’ mode. “I suggest you answer truthfully. For your own sake.”

“We don’t want to hurt you,” added the mother.

Ah, so the standard routine. Good cop, bad cop. All right. The familiarity of the situation made him feel a little more secure. He could handle it. His instincts told him that he shouldn’t bullshit them anyway.

“Okay.”

“Who are you? How do you know my son? And why is he going around saying that you’re his husband?”

“My name is Reyes Vidal.” No point in lying when it would take only seconds to check it out. Cooperation seemed like a smarter approach. If the man noticed that Reyes was working with him, perhaps he wouldn’t delve too deep into his files. They were okay at a first glance but couldn’t withstand proper scrutiny. “You can consult the files if you don’t believe me.”

“That’s what I was going to do.” As Reyes suspected, the man turned on his omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. Those C-Sec types were all the same. Reyes sweated buckets as the man read his documents. His face was unreadable. “Continue.”

“I met your son a couple of weeks ago. I found him crying in one of the storage rooms because he couldn’t do some biotic exercise and his sister was mean to him. So I talked with him a while until he calmed down enough to try again. This time he managed and ran off. I thought that I’d never see him again, but sometime later he spotted me working and came to say hi. And then asked if I’d like to be his husband. It was some sort of game between him and his sister. I said sure, when he’s older, why not? But that’s it. I never did anything to him. He came by a couple of times as I was working and we talked. I swear. I never laid a finger on him or did anything creepy. We were friends, I guess. Totally innocent.” 

As he was speaking, the man’s gaze travelled from the omni-tool to his face. Reyes didn’t like that look.

“If you’re telling the truth, why are you sweating so much? Why so nervous?” he asked.

_Because you’re about to destroy my life, that’s why._

“It’s hot in here. I’m used to lower temperatures.”

“Tell me something, Reyes.” The man made his name sound like a newly discovered species of a cockroach. “I found something curious in your files. Anything you want to share?”

_Oh fuck._ He was done for.

“In my files?” Reyes asked, aiming for nonchalance and realizing immediately that he had failed. Damn, he really needed to practice his poker face. Something to work on later… if he got out of here alive.

“Yes. My scanning device is telling me that your files have been tampered with. This could get you in trouble. Real trouble.” Reyes replied nothing, just bit on his lower lip. The man went on. “Tell me who you are. Honestly. That’s your only chance for any leniency.”

_Fuck_. He had to confess. But the truth wouldn’t win him any goodwill either. Damn. He never should have gotten involved in this mess.

“My name is Reyes Vidal. Really. Everything you see in the files is true. Except for my date of birth. I had to change the year.”

“Why?”

Reyes sighed. “Because no one would hire me if they knew my true age.”

“How old are you then?” asked the woman.

“Thirteen.” The confession clearly surprised the adults. They blinked and exchanged glances. He knew what they were thinking. “I look older, I know. That’s why I decided to go through with it. No one really checks the file too meticulously without a good reason. That was my chance.”

“Why did you do it?” The man leaned forward.

“I told you, I needed a job.”

“Why?”

Rich people could be so stupid sometimes. “Because I like to eat from time to time.”

There was a bout of silence after his reply. Now it was their turn to feel uncomfortable.

“What about your parents?” asked the mother eventually.

“I’m on my own.” He shrugged.

“You’re an orphan?”

“Might as well be,” he said with an edge to his voice. He didn’t want to share his sob story. About a father lying drunk in the streets and about mother who left them many years ago. “I’m doing fine. I just need that job. Please, don’t tell anyone,” he begged, addressing the mother as the more sympathetic of the two. “I’m only trying to survive, I’m not hurting anyone.”

“And what about school? Any education to speak of?” The father raised an eyebrow at him.

Reyes almost rolled his eyes at him. He was smarter than any of his peers in their fancy school uniforms. “I’m self-taught. I read a lot.”

“And you think that’s enough?” The man scoffed. “That’s what you want from life? Being the lowest technician? Barely scraping by?”

_Fuck you, you presumptuous dick._

“No. I will be a pilot one day and leave it all behind,” Reyes shot back, losing control.

“Ah, a pilot.” The man smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. _Fuck._ Reyes let himself get provoked. Rookie mistake. “The piloting course costs a fortune. Let alone the exam. How are you planning to afford that?”

Reyes felt a pang of hurt in his chest. That man was simply cruel. “I’ll save enough.”

“Good luck, kid. Maybe in sixty years you’ll be able to pay for the first semester.”

Reyes glared at him, his eyes stinging. _Fuck._ He wouldn’t cry. He refused to. No matter how much he wanted. Crying was a sign of helplessness. Reyes could make it, he knew. He’d be a pilot one day and no one would be able to stop him.

“Darling, we need to talk,” said the mother, putting her hand on her husband’s shoulder. They had another wordless conversation summed up in a glance.

“Sit here, don’t you even dare to move.” The man ordered and Reyes simply nodded. He was tired. He just wanted all this to end and go home. No, no home. He needed to go to his boss, apologize and grovel for another chance. Perhaps if he employed all of his charms he’d be fine, ultimately.

Well, of course if the kid’s parents wouldn’t decide to fuck up his entire life and turn him in.

He watched anxiously as they left the living room and walked to the kitchen, still keeping an eye on him. He strained his ears to hear what they were talking about but all he could hear was an incoherent murmur of whispers.

He shot a longing glance towards the exit door. Running away wasn’t an option anymore, of course, but it was nice to be reminded about the possibly of egress.

What would happen to him now? Could he really go to prison? No, he was too young for that. Juvie, worst case scenario. Which would make finding a job even harder. Well then, he tried the mostly lawful route. Guess he was destined to be a criminal, after all. Just get rid of that stupid conscience and he was set.

The adults arrived at some decision. The mother smiled with something akin to smugness. The father looked as if he had eaten a lemon.

“I don’t want you anywhere near my boy. Whatever you did or didn’t do, that’s just all the same. And I can’t just stand idly, seeing that someone broke the law,” the man said, taking a seat again. Reyes sighed inwardly, his head hanging low. So they’d rat him out after all. Bastards. “But…” Reyes lifted his head, allowing himself to hope. “I have a proposition for you that would make everyone happy.”

“Yes?” Reyes prompted, tired of the suspense.

“I can pull some strings and have you admitted into a boot camp for youngsters on Earth. Training is extremely hard, both physically and mentally, but if you finish it you could attend the piloting course. For free.”

Reyes blinked. Was he really hearing it correctly or did his brain just malfunction? “You want me to join the Alliance?”

“I will give you a push towards your dreams. Consider it payback for saving my son.”

“I… I…” Reyes stuttered, thrown completely off balance. “Are you for real?”

The man nodded. “For real.”

Reyes was stunned, his mind whirring out of control. He could be a pilot? Without paying a penny? He wasn’t scared of any training, he survived so far on nothing but pure determination and this time it wouldn’t be any different. Leaving the Citadel behind was everything he dreamed of. And yet… he narrowed his eyes. Thirteen years of being alive was enough to learn that nothing in life came for free.

“What’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch. I just need a signed agreement from your legal guardian.”

“Done.” Reyes knew how to falsify his father’s signature since he was seven. That bastard was too drunk to remember what he was signing or not anyway. “When can I go?”

“A shuttle will be waiting for you at the docks. Tomorrow, ten am sharp. I’ll be there with a ticket and your credentials. If you want this, of course.”

“Yes! I want this!” he said, his golden eyes crinkling. Maybe it was a scam. Maybe an elaborate plan to get rid of him. Maybe tomorrow someone would put a bullet in his head in a dirty alley. But for now he chose to be excited. 

“No!” A heartbreaking scream sounded from the corridor. The little boy ran into the living room and threw himself on the armchair occupied by Reyes. As expected, he had eavesdropped on their conversation. “You can’t go!”

Reyes looked into those big blue eyes filled with sadness and fear. The mother tried to coax the kid to her side but he didn’t even budge. Reyes glanced briefly at the father. His expression clearly indicated that he wasn’t pleased with this exchange.

Reyes swallowed, turning to the boy. “It’s only for a little while. I want to be a pilot and to do that I need to go to Earth.”

“Earth…” The kid repeated with so much awe as if Reyes planned to jump through Omega 4 relay. “But you’ll come back?”

“Sure.”

“And then we’ll get married?”

Reyes coughed, the intensity of the father’s glare enough to turn him to ash. “Well, if you’re old enough and still want that, sure…”

“I will.” The boy sniffed and before Reyes could react, the boy climbed into his lap and gave him a tight hug. “You need to write me emails. I can read now so I’ll know. And I’ll write you back!”

There was something so touching and innocent about it that it tugged at the strings of Reyes’s heart. Damn. He’d miss this kid. Without even knowing how he got himself a friend.

“I will. Every day. Promise.”

_If your father won’t bite my head off first, kid_.

The boy, blissfully unaware of his father’s attitude, turned to his mother.

“Mom, before he goes can you take a photo of us?”

The woman smiled but there was certain sadness in her eyes.

“Sure, sweetie.” She turned on her omni-tool. “Smile!”

The boy grinned, showing his missing teeth, his hands wrapped tightly around Reyes’s neck. Reyes smiled too, not sure exactly what he felt at this moment. A bittersweet cocktail of future promises and letting go of the past. He had no idea what would happen to him tomorrow but he knew one thing: nothing would ever be the same again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this story.  
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos. <3

“Look at that one!” Sara giggled, handing Reyes another photograph. This one depicted Scott as a gangly teenager with awkwardly long limbs, smiling at the camera and holding proudly a gold medal earned in swimming championship. “You were such a jock, Scott!”

“Better a jock than a nerd,” Scott shot back, no malice in his words.

“I am very proud of your past achievements, Scott. As I am of your present ones,” Reyes said smoothly, finishing the sentence with a playful peck on his husband’s cheek.

When Sara, arriving on Kadara straight from the Nexus, interrupted their reunion on the Tempest, Reyes wasn’t too happy about it at first. His time with Scott, as scarce as it was due to the nature of their work, was sacrosanct. However, he changed his mind fairly quickly when Sara said that she brought a gift worthy of a king and his consort. Intrigued, they allowed her to come aboard to the Pathfinder’s Quarters.

Now, sitting on the couch between the two Ryders, Reyes wasn’t regretting that decision. As it turned out, Sara used her downtime to rifle through personal effects of an Elizabeth Reilly – or rather Ellen Ryder, their mother still deep in cryostatis waiting until the cure for her disease arrived. Apparently, the tests were promising and with luck a true breakthrough was just a matter of a few years.

Boredom and curiosity prompted Sara to violate Ellen’s privacy and check the items she had brought to Andromeda. Much to Sara’s surprise, one of the items that Ellen Ryder took with her across the universe — or rather what Alec Ryder had packed for her as she couldn’t had done it herself — was a box full of photographs. Not digital data but ones printed on paper, something that took effort and money to prepare. The Ryders’ family history, focusing mainly on the kids. A true treasure trove of embarrassing and amazing scenes.

“Speaking of Scott’s achievements,” Sara said, a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye. “Do you know that he once got dared to kiss a hanar?”

Scott groaned but Reyes was all ears.

“Somehow I have no problem to believe that. He did it, of course?”

“A dare is a dare,” Scott explained, nearly leaving Reyes in stitches.

“And how was it?”

“Squishy.”

Even Reyes’s self-control had its limits. He barked with laughter and Sara followed suit. Scott was smiling too. All of them were having a good time.

“I bet that one was not amused,” said Sara, causing another fit of amusement.

“Not really. He called me a heathen and said that the Enkindlers will obliterate my ass. Well, he used different words and more sentences but that was the gist.”

Sara laughed so hard she nearly toppled off the couch. Reyes was slowly approaching a similar state.

“You should have at least bought the hanar a drink,” he said. “Invite them for a date maybe.”

“A date with a hanar?” Scott scoffed. “Excuse you but I do have some standards.”

“Clearly not, since you married Reyes.” Sara nudged the Charlatan with an elbow.

“Ouch.” He smiled. “Still, you missed an excellent opportunity, Scott. I mean, hanars have so many tentacles to get creative with…”

“Oh my God, did I just hear that right? I married a pervert.” Scott swatted at Reyes’s shoulder in mock offence.

“Speaking of perverts… Military kink, anyone?” Sara dived again into the box and fished out another photograph. “That’s some real jerk off material, huh?”

Reyes looked at it with interest. The photo showed Scott in uniform, saluting, his face as expressionless as only possible in such a formal occasion. That was his graduation photo, most likely. The day he started being an Alliance soldier for real.

“I don’t need jerk off material when I have the real thing within my reach,” Reyes replied with a wink.

“Stop it,” Scott muttered, adorably embarrassed.

“That’s not what you were screaming last night.”

Scott groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “Aren’t there any horrible pictures of you, sis? Or something compromising about dad?”

“Sorry, Scott, I’m too cool to have horrible photos.” She grinned.

Scott was saved by a voice coming from the coms.

“ _Pathfinder._ ”

“Hey, SAM. What’s up?”

“ _Your presence is requested in the cargo hold. Your pilot and the engineer are currently engaged in a heated argument that shows a high possibility of escalating into a brawl_.”

Scott sighed. “Of course. I knew that having both of them work on tweaking the engine is a bad idea. Just a sec, I’ll sort out this kindergarten.”

“Sure. We’re gonna save the best pics for when you’re back,” said Sara, so innocent that she’d fool anyone. Scott gave her a heavy glare, but stood up from the couch and walked out of the room.

“I’m glad you two got married,” Sara said as soon as the door closed behind Scott.

“Well, I’m glad too.”

“I think he needs that. You know, some normalcy in this crazy life.”

“I wouldn’t call our relationship exactly normal…” Reyes started but Sara waved it off, dismissively.

“Yeah, okay, you don’t live together and can only meet face to face occasionally. But still. I don’t know if he would make it without you. He’s happy with you and that means a lot. I’m just… well, it’s good that the two of you have met. That’s all.”

Reyes needed a moment to decide what to say to that. “You never know whom you can meet after six hundred years of napping.”

“True.” She chuckled. “And I’m not surprised in the least that from all the alien species he chose a human. Always preferred to stick to humans when dating. What a loser.”

Reyes raised an eyebrow. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to listen to Sara Ryder’s recount of her own dating adventures. Some things were better left to the imagination. Or left in general.

“What else do we have here?” he asked to change the topic, taking the photo box from her. So far they didn’t even reach half of the pile. The photos were all scattered without any chronology, pictures of baby Sara and Scott (adorable) mixed up with their adolescent years. A chaotic family chronicle. 

Reyes reached for another photograph. Scott, about six or so, grinning at the camera, showing his missing tooth. And right next to him, with the boy’s arms around his neck…

Reyes’s eyes widened. He gasped. No way. No fucking way.

“Reyes?” Sara asked, concerned. She glanced at the picture depicting her brother with some teenager, not knowing what was going on.

“Do you believe in destiny, Sara?”

“Not sure. Why?”

“Because I think I just started.”

She didn’t understand but he couldn’t fault her for that. He barely understood it himself. Fuck. So many things suddenly made sense. All the pieces of the puzzle finally slotting in their right spots.

The door to the Pathfinder’s Quarters opened with a soft hiss.

“Everything sorted out. Next one who starts a fight will get a timeout on the orbit,” Scott said, entering the room.

Reyes didn’t give him any time to get back to the couch. He sprang up, ran towards his husband and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“It was you!”

“Huh?” Scott gave him a blank stare.

“Storage kid!” A shadow of recognition flickered over Scott’s face but not enough to truly rekindle the memory. Reyes showed him the photo. “It was you all along!”

Scott looked down at the picture. Slowly, the understanding crept onto his face, twisting his features into a mask of incredulity.

“No way!” He laughed and stared at Reyes, a bright smile curving his lips. “So that was you? The technician? For real?”

“Yes. I can’t believe it.” Reyes shook his head, still stunned. It was so bizarre, like a dream.

“It was so long ago… I remember that I kept asking dad if you wrote to me. But you never did, so dad told me to forget about you. Guess I did. Until I met you again.”

“Wait… I did write to you,” Reyes insisted. “The first two weeks I wrote every day, as promised. But there was never any response so I assumed you did forget. I mean, you were just a kid.”

A dark cloud of realization dimmed Scott’s features. “Dad. He withheld those emails from me. Bastard.”

“Probably thought it to the best. It’s not usual to have your six-year-old kid hang out with someone twice their age.”

“Well…” Scott wrapped his arms around Reyes’s neck. “It doesn’t matter in the end, I suppose. I did marry you, after all.”

“You’re nothing if not determined.”

“I always get what I want. And who I want.”

The both laughed and shared a kiss, marveling on how strange life could be sometimes when the red thread of fate pulled you towards your soulmate.

Sara blinked, not understanding what had just happened at all. 


End file.
